This invention relates to the field of firearms, and more specifically to a method and apparatus for bore cleaning a firearm.
Firearms are used for target practice, hunting, law enforcement, and so on. After each shot, residue is left within the barrel from both the bullet as it leaves the gun and from the gases produced by combustion. It is important for reasons of accuracy and safety that the bore of the gun be cleaned periodically.
Typically, a gun is cleaned by attaching a brush or swab to a rod which is then pushed into the muzzle of the gun and moved up and down along the bore. One problem with this method is that the residue within the bore can be pushed up the barrel but not removed from the barrel. Moreover, it is a time-consuming process which can be unsatisfactory if a user wants to quickly clean a gun while in the field, for example.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,871,589 to Hedge shows a one-piece bore cleaner which includes a brush embedded in a cord. The cord is pulled through the gun bore and the brush cleans the bore. However, a different size bore cleaner is needed for each different size gun, and if a section of the bore cleaner gets dirty or damaged, the whole bore cleaner must be cleaned or replaced. This can result in an overall expensive bore cleaning system. Moreover, the Hedge bore cleaner does not allow the user the option of only wiping the bore without using a brush. This is a desirable option if the user wants to do a simple, quick cleaning or if the gun has delicate rifling.
Accordingly, what is needed is a bore cleaning system that allows a gun to be quickly and completely cleaned while being flexible to allow for cleaning different size guns or in different situations. One aspect of the present invention provides a bore cleaner which includes a first flexible cord having a weighted member attached to one end, a cleaning tool which is removably attachable to the first flexible cord in a first bore cleaner assembly, and a second, thicker flexible cord which is removably attachable to the first flexible cord in a second bore cleaner assembly and removably attachable to the cleaning tool in a third bore cleaner assembly.
Another aspect provides a bore cleaning system which includes a single flexible cord, a plurality of different size brushes which are each removably attachable to the single flexible cord, and a plurality of different size second flexible cords which are each removably attachable to the single flexible cord and removably attachable to each of the plurality of different size brushes. Another aspect provides a two-part bore cleaning system which includes a first flexible cord having a weight member and having a brush permanently attached to an end of the first flexible cord, and a second flexible cord having a weight member and having a thicker flexible cord attached to a second end of the second flexible cord.
Among other advantages, the present modular bore cleaning system allows a user to assemble the members of the system as needed, to buy only the necessary parts for a given gun, and to choose the method of cleaning. This provides a low-cost system which is usable for a variety of guns and situations.